Sony says it'll be 'at least a year' before PlayStation exclusives hit PC, unless they're live service games

A shot of an interview showing Hermen Hulst mid-speech

(Image credit: Sony)

PlayStation Studios head Hermen Hulst has let slip that, going forward, we can probably expect to wait "at least a year" before first-party PlayStation games hit PC. There's one exception to that rule, though: PlayStation's live service games, which we might see "day and date" with their console releases. Considering the fact that the company has plans for ten live service games in the works, that's a fairly major commitment to PC.

In an interview with YouTuber Julien Chièze, Hulst said that, "because you want to have a really strong community, strong engagement right away when you go live" with live service games, Sony might opt to release them across multiple platforms at the same time in future. So, at least a year before we get God of War: Ragnarok, then, but PC-based Destiny fans can rest assured that Sony's purchase of Bungie shouldn't affect them too harshly.

Sony has, of course, undergone a remarkable shift in its relationship with the PC in the last couple of years. The company bought up PC port-house Nixxes in July last year, and the once-impenetrable fortress that housed PlayStation-exclusive games like Horizon: Zero Dawn, Marvel's Spider-Man, and God Of War has fallen. Sony now expects to make $300 million from its PC releases in this financial year.

That relationship isn't going anywhere anytime soon, either. It was only this morning that Hulst was chatting—in frustratingly vague terms—about upcoming investments "to strengthen [Sony's] expansion on to PC". Dataminers have also uncovered references to a possible PlayStation PC launcher in the files of Marvel's Spider-Man, suggesting the company has plans to stake a permanent settlement on PC shores.

In terms of upcoming PlayStation releases on PC, the Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection comes to Steam on October 19. We've also seen so many hints and leaks about Returnal coming to our desktops that Sony really should just announce it at this point. As for The Last Of Us Part 1? Give it a year. And don’t mention Bloodborne, you’re only torturing yourselves by this point.

One of Josh's first memories is of playing Quake 2 on the family computer when he was much too young to be doing that, and he's been irreparably game-brained ever since. His writing has been featured in Vice, Fanbyte, and the Financial Times. He'll play pretty much anything, and has written far too much on everything from visual novels to Assassin's Creed. His most profound loves are for CRPGs, immersive sims, and any game whose ambition outstrips its budget. He thinks you're all far too mean about Deus Ex: Invisible War.